We are delighted to have won two Film Society of the Year Awards 2017, at a ceremony held in Sheffield on November 11th. Hosted by Cinema for All, the awards have been running for 48 years and celebrates the hard work of the volunteers who bring film to communities all across the UK. It is the biggest gathering of film societies, community cinemas and film clubs and is the most coveted event in the annual calendar.

This is the first year that Shere Village Cinema has entered the competition and we received three nominations and two wins.

The first award was won for Best Marketing and Publicity. The Chief Executive of Cinema for All, Deborah Parker, who announced the winners with the following citation:

"This group began screening films as they were ‘inspired by their passion for story.’ What a great reason to come together and screen films. The judges were impressed by the range of communication methods used by this winning group – no shop window has been spared, no Tweets left unsent, no Newspaper columns left alone. They have approached their publicity from all angles, while ensuring that who they are and what they stand for always comes across. This is the sort of group whose authenticity can’t be bottled."

Our marketing campaign over the last twelve months has included the film programme posters, display board, cinema gazebo (which visited the Shere Hill Climb and Shere Street Party), local publicity and press advertising. The advertising has increased awareness for the cinema by reaching a broader market beyond the boundaries of the local villages, and as a result, increased the average audience attendance to 65 people per film.

Our second win was for the Filmbankmedia Audience Award. There were over 220 cinema entries in this category which involved asking audience members to complete the statement: ‘My local community cinema is an important part of our community because…’ We asked members of our audience to submit their comments for entry into the competition. The judges were impressed by the pride, appreciation and gratitude expressed by you all, and how the cinema has become a vital village hub for everybody to meet up with friends. As one audience member said, ‘Shere wouldn’t be the same without our beloved village cinema.’

Filmbankmedia presented Shere Village Cinema with a crystal star award and a cheque for £1,000 towards new cinema equipment. Angus Cormie, Chairman of Shere Village Cinema said, “The committee will think carefully about how best to spend this money so that we can continue growing the cinema and provide the best out-of-town cinema experience for the community.” Watch this space!

In addition to the two big wins, we were also presented with two commendations for Best Single Event and Community Award.

Speaking at the ceremony in Sheffield, Jayne Cormie of Shere Village Cinema said, “We are so very proud of our current committee, the founding team, and of course our amazing audience. These awards are for us all and a huge thank you for all your support.”

The full list of winners:

Best Marketing and Publicity - Shere Village Cinema

Filmbankmedia Award - Shere Village Cinema

Best New Society - The Picture House Ballyclare

Community Award - Leigh Film Society (Shere Village Cinema achieve a commendation in this category)

Best Student Cinema - Film Unit

Film Discovery Award - Leigh Film Society

Best Film Programme - Deptford Cinema

Best Single Event - Aunty Social(Shere Village Cinema achieve a commendation in this category)

Outstanding Contribution by an Individual - David Mcloughlin from Metamorphosis